Walton's River. 103 



touching some obtrusive hillock on the bottom of the river. 

 You must, however, strike, and a tiny fragment of weed, like 

 a bit of hair, is all that the bait has added to itself. When 

 the fish are feeding it is a merry sport indeed. The sharp 

 stab of the float when the roach is in earnest leaves you no 

 room to doubt ; the quick,, firm strike is made with a heart 

 full of confidence and a wrist that knows the correct trick. 

 Thus, with care, you may go on catching silver-sided fish 

 throughout the livelong day, never once moving from the 

 little armchair you have made for yourself out of the bank 

 of rushes and sedge. 



The Lea roach fishers pride themselves upon being the 

 most skilful in the kingdom " bar none " ; it is true they 

 consider the Thames anglers decent, after a fashion, but 

 object to a certain coarseness in their style, consequent 

 upon the enforced use of the punt. They are willing to do 

 all justice to the Nottinghamites, yet give them an inferior 

 place. In sooth, if the Lea men are not first-rate roach 

 masters they ought to be. Their river swarms with that 

 description of fish, and the stream, by comparison with 

 Thames, Trent, or even Ouse, is small. Moreover, it 

 abounds with oft-recurring holes, with a firm bed, a steep 

 bank, and a placid flow of water. 



A plethoric Lea roach fisherman, sitting on his square 

 basket, which answered the treble purpose of seat, game- 

 bag, and locker after the sport was over, once assured me 

 that all you require for roach is a stock of patience. His 

 idea of a "stock" of that article was sublime. He had 

 been sitting three hours on a muggy, damp November day 

 without a bite, smiling sweetly as swim after swim was 

 effected without a break in the ill-luck. He relieved the 

 monotony to some extent by an occasional affixture of 

 ground bait to the shot of his foot line. Even I, so great 



